Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Professor
Layton has become somewhat of a poster-boy for Nintendo handhelds.
His games' combination of unique charm, mystery stories, animated
sequences and puzzle-solving have proved to have a universal appeal.
Miracle Mask is his first adventure on 3DS. Can developer Level-5
keep up the Professor's sterling reputation?

While
this is the 5th
game in the series, it is chronologically the second and part of a
prequel trilogy. If you want to get the most out of this particular
game, I would recommend playing The Last Spectre (DS) and then
watching The Eternal Diva (DVD/Blur-ray) before getting this. At
least read a decent plot summary, otherwise there are a few
references that will be lost on you. I don't want to go into many
story details, because that would ruin a lot of the fun. Basically,
Layton gets a letter from an old friend asking for his help. She
lives in Monte d'Or, a city in the desert that has rapidly sprung up and grown
into prosperity. He arrives just in time to catch the carnival parade
in the evening. However, the festivities are brought to an abrupt
halt when a number of people turn to stone! At that point a figure
who calls himself The Masked Gentleman appears, claiming it is one of
his many “miracles.” And he has a lot more of them in store for this city
and its citizens...

One of, if not the best villain in the series!

The
Masked Gentleman is a very flamboyant villain. His sharp suit and
silver tongue will keep you thoroughly entertained. I was always
looking forward to his appearances during my playthrough. In fact,
all of the characters are great. The main trio of Layton and his two
assistants Luke and Emmy are as charming as ever. The designs are all
unique, a lot of the citizens are quite hilarious. The series is
inspired by European animation like Belleville Rendezvous, so expect
to see a lot of weird and accentuated features. You'll also get to discover Layton's past during this story and it will give you a
better understanding of his character. The games often take a long
time to be localised (21 months in this case), but you can understand
why because the effort put into the writing is plain to see. All of the
characters have lot to share and there a lot of funny exchanges. For
example, a shop keeper with a very disproportionate build who has a
crush on Emmy made me chuckle.

Always being a true gentleman.

Presentation-wise,
the move to more powerful hardware has added a lot to the series.
While this is a relatively recent release in the west, it was in fact
a launch title in Japan. Bearing this in mind, I was surprised at how well Level-5 have used the system. My favourite change applies to the
exploration. In the DS games there would be a static scene on the
lower screen and you interacted with the environment and characters
by touching them. Now the environments are on the 3D screen and they
have a lovely layered depth to them. They remind me of Victorian
dioramas and I think it's a great addition to the franchise. The Las
Vegas-inspired city of Monte d'Or is a very cool setting as well. It
suits the game's light-hearted tone while also giving it a sense of
spectacle and celebration. The added depth encourages exploration and
you can look around the environments by using the touchscreen like a
mouse. You still touch characters to talk or tap on the scenery to
find hint coins. The hint coins are hidden in the scenery and they are used to unlock hints in the puzzles. The characters are now fully modelled and they have
managed to keep the animation style intact in this transition. They
now animate a lot more in conversation too. These features combined with the 3D
screen bring the game life in a way the DS could not.

In 3D the environments really pop!

The
gameplay has also benefited from the hardware. You will see some
puzzles that use the gyroscope and both screens in ways that haven't
been done before in the series. You also now have the choice as to
how you want the puzzle presented to you. The puzzle explanation can
be sent to either screen, or hidden away. I found this immensely
useful when using the memo function. I would have the explanation on
the top while making my notes on the bottom. I know it doesn't sound
like all that, but it was so helpful. The puzzles themselves are
pretty good, I definitely needed the hint coins for the later ones! They are quite varied and everyone will find some challenging ones.
Something the games have always done well is test different parts of
your brain. For example, I had more trouble with the number related
puzzles, but breezed through the more visual puzzles.

The
music and sound design is as good as ever. The songs are all very pleasant and add to the air of mystery. I particularly like the
main theme of Monte d'Or. Occasionally
the puzzle music was distracting, but most of the time I enjoyed it.

My
main issue with the game is its length. At over 20 hours, I
personally found it it a bit too long. I was playing while watching
TV for some of the time, so I'm sure I could have finished it faster
if I was more focused. Still, I would rather pay less money and have
a shorter game. It still equates to good value for money, as there are
150 puzzles in the main game. There are also three mini-games which
are quite fun, but don't compare to those in The Last Spectre (I loved the Toy Train mini-game so much!). You
can also download a free puzzle every day online for a year, which is
extremely generous. You definitely won't be starved for content.
Whether you are a completionist or just want to enjoy a good mystery
story, I don't think you'll be disappointed with Layton's new adventure. I haven't come close to
seeing everything the game has to offer.

I have completed
Curious Village (1st
game) and The Last Spectre (4th)
and I enjoyed this one the most. I would recommend this game to everyone; it is another great release for the 3DS, which is fast becoming one of the best handheld systems ever. It offers acharming, intriguing world filled with quirky characters and interesting puzzles. What's not to like!?